Amtrak Passengers Held In Lincoln After Security Scare

Amtrak passengers on their way to Chicago were taken off their train in Lincoln on Friday as authorities investigated suspicious items that someone left behind.

Around 190 passengers temporarily disembarked at the Lincoln station as police investigated the items left on the train, Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said.

The northbound St. Louis-to-Chicago train was delayed for more than three hours. The incident also affected three other Amtrak trains, including one other northbound and two southbound.

Magliari declined to say what the suspicious items turned out to be.

"We were able to resume the trip," he said. "Amtrak apologizes for the delay and thanks the emergency responders."

WGLT depends on financial support from users to bring you stories and interviews like this one. As someone who values experienced, knowledgeable, and award-winning journalists covering meaningful stories in central Illinois, please consider making a contribution.

A new Pontiac Rail Station has opened to Amtrak service. State Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn said this is the latest of several station improvements on the Chicago to Saint Louis Corridor that will improve performance on the high speed rail corridor.

“After years of construction along one of the busiest passenger rail corridors in the country, the benefits are beginning to show with beautiful new stations in our state’s great communities,” Secretary Blankenhorn said.

A little more than two years after the town of Normal included a nearly $13 million underpass in its Uptown 2.0 plan based on community feedback, a consultant hired to look at the feasibility is also recommending a wide underpass and park as the safest and best option for accessibility and economic development.